Recurrent myocardial infarction caused by cocaine abuse

A 19-year-old man, who was a frequent cocaine abuser, presented on December 13, 1984, with 2 hours of substernal chest pain and an ECG diagnostic of an acute inferior infarction, and was lost to follow-up.

Abstract

Cocaine-induced thrombosis has been reported in the literature; however, its mechanism is not fully understood. Most cases are of small caliber vessels, such as the coronaries and cerebral vasculature. We report a case of a 36-year-old man with signs and symptoms of acute arterial insufficiency in his right lower extremity. At angiography, the right common iliac artery and the popliteal artery were occluded. The patient was successfully treated with thrombolytic therapy. Cocaine-induced thrombosis should be suspected in a patient with history of cocaine abuse who presents with acute arterial insufficiency in an extremity, without an identifiable source.